Vice President Mike Pence, left, with Prime Minister of Montenegro Dusko Markovic, center, wave to members of the media outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Monday, June 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)Montenegro became the 29th member of NATO on Monday and was praised by the United States for sticking to its path of joining the Western military alliance in spite of Russian pressure. Markovic told Pence that Montenegro aimed to meet the NATO target of spending 2 percent of its GDP on defense by 2024. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Montenegro bore “full responsibility” after joining EU sanctions against Russia in 2014. Last October, Montenegro said Russian spy agencies and local pro-Russian parties conspired to halt the bid, assassinate the-then Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and bring the opposition to power.

Source: Indian Express June 05, 2017 23:26 UTC